I’ve been quiet on this blog for a while, and by the end of this post you will understand why. (It’s all good news, don’t worry!)
I Translated a Mushoku Tensei Book!
So… After I left ANN, I got into the manga and light novel translation sphere. Translation was always something I dabbled in, like when I worked on Mari Okada’s autiobiography, but now I have more time to dedicate to it. I like translation because I can do it on a flexible schedule while focusing more on my personal life—plus, some of the jobs can be genuine passion projects.
Mushoku Tensei is one of my favourite light novels ever, so you can imagine my delight when I got the opportunity to translate Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation – Recollections. This is a short story collection originally written to supplement volumes 1-10 of the main series. Although it doesn’t advance the main plot or anything, it’s got some of the funniest scenes in the entire series, so I highly recommend it to any fan!
I expect that this will be the only Mushoku Tensei novel I translate. The main series is already completed in English, and although I did get an offer to translate a separate side novel, it did not fit with my schedule. I am just happy that I got to work on something related to one of my favourite series—definitely something to tick off the bucket list!
Judging For the JNC Original Light Novel Contest
A few months ago, J-Novel Club held its inaugural light novel contest. It got hundreds of submissions, and I was involved throughout the process as a guest judge. By now, the finalists are public. I can’t tell you yet which submissions I liked the most or who will win the overall contest, so I recommend you give the previews a read yourself.
Being involved in this competition was a really interesting experience. I got the opportunity to read some incredible light novel-inspired works that I would never have encountered in the traditional sphere. But it does mean that my time for reading Japanese novels or watching anime has been very limited these past few months. My backlog is languishing!
Anyway, I am excited for when the winners are announced at Anime Expo, and I hope you are too. I would have come to AX personally to participate in the JNC panel, but life circumstances prevented that, because you see…
I Am Having a Baby This August
Yeah, this is definitely the biggest thing happening in my life, haha. I’m gonna be a parent!
If you’d told me even three years ago that this was where I would end up, I’d have been incredulous. But after moving back to Australia, I started feeling strongly that this was something I wanted to do. Being able to buy my own house was a big factor, and my family is there to support me as well, for which I am very grateful.
It didn’t necessarily come easy, though. Shortly after I moved back, I discovered that I had a cancer in my left ovary, which not only made it physically impossible to conceive but it would also have eventually threatened my life. Fortunately, the surgery went well, and I had a healthy pregnancy a few months later, but the whole experience was very humbling. Whether it’s childbirth or even just plain old survival, life is never something to take for granted…
In any case, I’m really hoping that this last stretch of my pregnancy remains uncomplicated, and I’m looking forward to starting this new chapter in my life!
A Quick Light Novel Recommendation to Finish Things Off
Although I haven’t had that much time to read light novels lately, I want to cap off this post with a shoutout to a series I’ve been getting into lately: Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy.
Hanashi Media, a new publisher, put out an English version of this popular isekai series a few months ago. It really took me by surprise how fun the translation was. Even if the plot wasn’t 100% my kind of thing, especially as it goes on, every single joke landed. The dialogue is snappy, and I always enjoy an MC who takes absurd events in stride. I haven’t been too impressed by the anime’s second season, but I recommend the novel for anyone who loves a good comedy (isekai or otherwise).
Anyway, that’s all for now! I know that each of these things probably deserved their own post, but I hope you can forgive me for being busy 😀
Take care, everyone!
